Who Should I Start? T.J. Hockenson or Jakobi Meyers

Tuesday, January 14, 12:46 AM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson brought in all five of his targets for 64 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The 27-year-old was able to break free for a nifty 26-yard catch-and-run late in the third quarter, but that would be the team's only TD -- and highlight -- of the game. The Vikings' offense fizzled out for the second straight week as quarterback Sam Darnold's late-season collapse continued. It's an unfortunate ending to the season for Minnesota, who won 14 games and was on the brink of a first-round bye. Still, Hockenson can find a silver lining in that he did not re-injure the knee that kept him out of the season's first seven games. He'll now turn to 2025 with uncertainty at quarterback.

Friday, May 30, 12:27 PM

The Athletic's Tashan Reed reports that the Las Vegas Raiders are moving their receivers around a lot during voluntary organized team activities. Jakobi Meyers and rookie Jack Bech have lined up frequently at both outside and slot receiver, while Tre Tucker and Dont'e Thornton have mostly been locked in on the outside. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly should be able to get pretty creative with his alignments based on the fact that tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer both have the ability to line up at slot or on the outside. Meyers had the best season of his career in 2024 with 87 catches, 1,027 yards and four touchdowns and is entering the final season of his contract in 2025. The 28-year-old benefitted from a pass-happy offense last year that was often playing from behind. While he gets an upgrade at QB with Geno Smith, the Raiders offense is now expected to be more run-heavy, likely leading to a regression in Meyers' numbers.